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80S ERA
01-08-2002, 10:35 AM
As an AP-er, one of the experiences I do not go through anymore is waiting in long lines. I no longer have the patience to wait over 30 minutes for a ride I have been on hundreds of times. Fastpass is another reason many of us AP-ers don't wait anymore.

But remember the "good ol' days" when we would wait 2 hours for the new Star Tours ride? Or even an hour for Haunted Mansion? My friends and I would wait for everything -- there was no such thing as fastpass and its not like we could just come back on another day, especially when we paid over $20 (alot of $$ in the 80's) for admission.

So, here are some of things I would do as a kid/teen to keep myself busy in line:
1. Eat a pineapple spear -- very slowly
2. Eat a frozen banana -- very slowly (until its almost thawed)
3. Meet the other guests in line - even if the are 15-20 people ahead -- you could always wait 'til the line zig-zags back around.
4. Look at all the details/theming in the queue area - apreciate all the jokes and gags like the HM tombstones, the Star Tours boarding area, etc.
5. Make moves on your date - innocent stuff like holding hands, being touchy-feely, etc.
6. Listen to a walkman - when the people you are with aren't amusing

What are some of things you do (or did) to pass the time? And, is it really part of the "magic"?

socabch
01-08-2002, 10:51 AM
80S ERA
Boy, what a wake up call to stop and smell the roses. I remember those days when a long line wasn't a big deal & you would enjoy the scenery. Being an APer also I have gotten impatient standing in long lines. I have talked to strangers in line and that's nice because you get to see the excitement in their eyes if it's the first visit. My kids look for Hidden Mickey's.

One time in Indiana Jones line we had a group of about 8 teenagers (boys & girls) entertaining us. We were laughing so hard. The boys were showing off by trying to gross the girls out by inserting straws in every hole on their head and connecting them. One guy started laughing so hard drool went from his mouth into his nose. That started a new level of entertainment. Gross but funny, especially to my 11 & 14 yr old girls.

1. Watch People who are having fun and smile.
2. Look for Hidden Mickey's

Iceman
01-08-2002, 03:50 PM
Wow, and I thought my wife and I were the ones who had become "line-averse" after visiting the parks so many times! :D

All those ways of passing the time you mentioned are good ones, and, in my opinion, part of the magic. But I still have plenty of opportunities to appreciate detailed theming and chat with other folks. I guess the magic has just changed as we have...

Morrigoon
01-08-2002, 04:21 PM
I must admit, I hardly ride attractions anymore because I simply have NO patience for lines. And the themed queues really are worth taking the time to see, that's the pity of it.

I was just there last weekend, and rode.... nothing. We left the swing dancing before it was over with the intention of riding something, but after seeing the matterhorn and IASWH, we walked over to Coke Corner and watched Rod play instead.

I'm sure it's a pity I have no patience for that anymore, but on the other hand, it does free me up to enjoy the entertainment the park offers.

innerSpaceman
01-08-2002, 04:22 PM
The line fun I miss most (both because I have long since lost my patience for lines and because it's been a long time since this great attraction had a line) was when there were long lines for Pirates of the Caribbean that wrapped around to the Swiss Family Treehouse side of the building. We would pass out song sheets and teach everyone the lyrics to 'Yo Ho,' get everybody singing on the line and then on the attraction, too.

DisneylandBoy
01-08-2002, 04:49 PM
My friends and I talk . . . about school the day, the ride we are about to go one, Disneyland in general. While I refuse to wait over an hour, a 30 or 40 minute wait can actually be fun. We play teenage games like 10 fingers or truth or dare. It makes the line go MUCH shorter. Plus, the posted standby time is always longer than the line actually is, so when we are planning to wait an hour, and it only takes 45 minutes, thats a plus!

MammaSilva
01-08-2002, 04:50 PM
after coordinating the wonderful birthday party I can just soooo see you doing that Innerspaceman, I'm betting there are people all over the world with some wonderful memories of PoC because of that!

as for waiting in lines being part of the magic....it can be magical and it can be magical (that from the 'magic' thread from a while back) it all depends on so many factors :)

melinda1955
01-08-2002, 04:58 PM
My family and I are also ap's, and my hubby is the one with no patience. I am okay with about a 20 min wait. What I like to do is people watch. There are so many different people in the world and you get a good look at them, sometimes too close. :) You can check out what they wear if they have an accent, guess where they come from. Maybe it is just a chick thing but that is what I like to do.

EandCDad
01-08-2002, 05:19 PM
My aversion to lines corresponds to having two young girls who
1. smack into others
2. get smacked into by others
3. want me to carry them/hold them during the entire wait
4. say "how much longer" every 35 seconds

Etc.

I've ridden everything in DL enough so that I don't get all bent out of shape if I don't get on it this time (there will always be a next time.)

mad4mky
01-08-2002, 05:51 PM
For those of us who only get to go to DLR a couple of times a year...lines are a pain. That limits a lot of what we get to see and do. But that's life. Luckily, when we do go with our disabled daughter, we can use our SAP...which is why we get it...she can't stand long in lines.

But, at WDW...I don't mind the lines so much. People come from all over the world to go there...where as at DLR, it's mostly locals and California folk. At WDW, I enjoy talking to people in line, asking where they're from, etc. Most people reaction when we say "California" is..."Don't you have your own park out there?"

BiggJakeMoney
01-08-2002, 06:48 PM
I'm an AP'er, but I still don't mind lines much. See, I have six close friends who also have AP's, and although we are close, as we get a bit older, our schedules allow us to see eachother less and less.
So one of our favorite things to do when we make it go right to all make it to DL is just shoot the bull and catch up with eachother while we wait in line. With that many people, you can talk and joke for hours, and it makes the wait-time in line zip by, no matter if we're waiting for 20 minutes, or an hour and a half.

One of my favorite things. Kind of weird, but then again, I'm just kind of weird.

-BJM

DisneylandBoy
01-08-2002, 07:32 PM
Other things I like to do while waiting in line:

1. Sing. Whether is be the song to the ride we are about to get on, or any random song. My friends and I were at Disneyland once and we started singing the entire show of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We get a LOT of stares.

2. Count the people ahead of me. Try to estimate how much time is left.

3. (Have only done this onece or twice) I make up stories about the people around me. Fake names, fake life stories. It's pretty fun!

Not Afraid
01-08-2002, 07:41 PM
I hate waiting in line! I'm at the park so much that I usually don't have to. However, I must say I miss the experience on the rides that have wonderful queues.

Indy is a good example. Every bit of the queue sets you up for the ride. What a great job! Other great queues that come to mind are Roger Rabbit, Star Tours, Space Mt (before destruction), Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion Holiday, Thunder Mt. and Snow White. I usually try to walk a little slower through these to get the intended experience, usually irritating the people behind me.

MammaSilva
01-08-2002, 07:46 PM
does anyone else miss that moving walkway that you used to have to take to get into space?

Morrigoon
01-08-2002, 07:50 PM
Totally, I *so* miss the old entrance, it was all futuristic.

blusilva
01-08-2002, 08:42 PM
Originally posted by BiggJakeMoney
I'm an AP'er, but I still don't mind lines much. See, I have six close friends who also have AP's, and although we are close, as we get a bit older, our schedules allow us to see eachother less and less.
So one of our favorite things to do when we make it go right to all make it to DL is just shoot the bull and catch up with eachother while we wait in line.

Now, see, I was just going to say that.

I go with a group of "Disneyland friends", who have developed over the course of the past 4 years. Most of us came into the group through one person, but didn't know each other before we started hanging out at Disneyland. Luckily, we all get along. :) We spend quality time in line together, since it's the only time we usually see each other, outside of the occasional party.

And I don't like sprinting through the Indy, Star Tours or Roger Rabbit queues. There is so much to see there, and just breezing past it all seems such a shame. I always get a sort of sad feeling when we traipse through the empty slide show room in Indy.

MickeyD
01-08-2002, 09:23 PM
Originally posted by mammasilva
does anyone else miss that moving walkway that you used to have to take to get into space?

Generally I am not adversive to change, but I SOOO miss this.

BiggJakeMoney
01-08-2002, 10:02 PM
Hear, hear, Blusilva.

With AP's, we've all sort of gotten accustomed to taking it VERY easy when we visit Disneyland. For us, it's become less the place to go to "furiously ride as many rides as we can in one day," and more the "atmospheric setting to spend quality time with your compatriots and enjoy each others company."

I mean, can you think of a better setting for social get-togethers? I sure can't! :)


-BJM

tabacco
01-08-2002, 10:23 PM
Another fun thing to do in line: Mickey impressions. If you can do a good Mickey voice, say stuff like "Hey, can't this line move any faster?" or "Aw, shucks. I didn't think the line'd be THIS long!"

When people turn around and look at you, try to look as innocent as possible :)

Marko50
01-09-2002, 12:01 AM
Sometimes I SOOOO miss standing in line. My wife's in a wheelchair when we go, so we miss most the lines. WDW notwithstanding, I think there's a great cross-section of people at DL, and standing in line is a prime way to watch them.

'Course, that's only if it's not too hot n humid....

tabacco
01-09-2002, 12:12 AM
The one line I wish I could still stand in is Indy. I miss queueing up in the indoor part... it was so much cooler. Now you just breeze by and don't get time to appreciate the detail.

80S ERA
01-09-2002, 05:55 AM
Originally posted by DisneylandBoy
We play teenage games like 10 fingers or truth or dare. It makes the line go MUCH shorter.

I've played both those games before, but never in line! That would be interesting... I could only imagine what type of dares people would come up with!

Another thing my friends and I would do is find look-a-likes of our friends. I mean -- there's only so many cominations of the human face -- you're bound to run into someone that ressembles someone you know! Then, we'd do silly things like call the person by his/her look-a-like name and wonder why they aren't responding. A few times, it turned out to be the actual person!
:D

Ah, the good ol' days...

baileykat
01-09-2002, 04:45 PM
We were there in Dec and I really did miss standing in line..really the only line we had was Matterhorn and it was 20 mins..everything else we fast passed or our line was 5-10 mins...which was great...we got ALOT in...but I did miss the lines...no time to eat anything...that's what we always did in line..eat. Get something to eat..get in line...wait 45 mins...ride. Get something to eat, get in line, etc...it also gave us time to plan what we were doing next...

Morrigoon
01-09-2002, 04:51 PM
fastpass has ruined waiting in line for me. The standby lines are longer now, so you don't just walk by an attraction and think, oh, hey, let's ride this, because the line is too long now (and I have an AP's impatience)

MonorailMan
01-09-2002, 05:36 PM
I looove to wait in lines! Ok, so I'm weird. But I find it fun to talk and my fav, tell people all kinds of info on the ride there riding (No Spoilers of corse). Like the SM break room. Or why they got rid of rocket rods, or the old submarine voyage. Forieners especallly like this I even heard one say, (While waiting for the monorail. ;) "That kid really knows alot about Disneyland, sounds like he lives here." :p So, to get back on the topic, I love lines. Even If I own a AP I will still wait in line.

Also, I played that truth or dare with friends, had to lick the handrail. (YUCK!) ;)